No Noose is Good Noose
Mood:  suave
Now Playing: Howard Shore's "The Riders of Rohan," from his score for "The Two Towers"

okay, "The Fantastic Four" is simply a fun movie. don't concern yourself with the critics, just go and have a good time. i did. i went in with some fears but found they were ungrounded. it's not the best superhero movie, nor is it perfect, but damn if it isn't one of the most fun. good laughs, good thrills, good action.

in other movie news, "Vanity Fair" has no redeeming qualities. okay, it's well acted, the costumes are amazing, the locations are breath-taking, and the cinematography is top-notch. but the film just meanders from one boring scene to another. the all-star cast is wasted on a senseless script that makes me despise Thackeray. it's seldom i have such a vehement reaction to a film, but the world must be warned. "Vanity Fair" is an unjust test of your sanity.

i attended Hollie Cook's wedding yesterday (Sunday). that makes three weddings in four weeks. counting my taking in of "Four Weddings and a Funeral," that's seven weddings and a funeral in four weeks. wow. sorry, random tangent. it was a nice wedding and it was cool seeing old friends from Jersey whom i haven't seen since 7th grade.

an interesting point was brought up in concern of one of my last blogs. i mentioned many of us worship the same god, whether ye be Islamic, Muslim, Jewish, or Christian and Amanda disagreed. and i just want to comment on that because it's something i've wondered about and thought on many times:

we Christians all believe in the same Father, Son and Holy Ghost, but the Catholic view of God, someone who needs to be convinced by the saints to help us, is not the same God we Protestants worship, a God who is eager to help. and that's just within Christianity. do we worship the same God, and what does He do when i pray to Him and a Catholic prays to a dead guy (St Peter, we'll say), hoping that dead guy will talk to God on their behalf? technically, we're worshiping the same God. spiritually and characteristically, not at all. i dunno. it kind of saddens me that so many of us can trace our beliefs back to the Bible, but everyone has gone separate directions since then.

pray for me. i may have a career change looming in front of me. pray that i go where i need to and it is my belief that only God knows where i need to be.

The Four Incredible Fantastics
Mood:  hungry
Now Playing: Everything's "Hooch"

the reviews are rolling in and it looks like "The Fantastic Four" may be the biggest superhero dud since "Batman & Robin." i'm going to see it this afternoon, after lunch with Mom and Dad. part of me has to wonder how much the critics are being swayed by "The Incredibles" or if this is just going to be a bad film.

i really dug "The Incredibles," as it worked on a plethora of levels: it was commentary on the modern family, it was about a man and his mid-life crisis, it was a beautiful homage to almost every other superhero, it was funny, it was a great action flick, the list could go on and on. but i do have a gripe. and it's a big one:

if you're going to make an original movie about superheroes, shouldn't you create your own superheroes?

even the newest of newbies to comicdom notice the more than coincidental likeness to the Fantastic Four: strong guy, check. stretchy person, check. girl who can turn herself invisible and also create force fields to protect herself and those she wishes to save, check. person who can turn themself on fire, check.

i know, i know. what super power hasn't been used? is it at all possible to even create a new superhero? as i sit here and try to figure out how i would tell a superhero family story, the only thing i can come up with is: whatever i do, it can't be the F4.

because those of us who read the comics know that the Fantastic Four has always been about family. it's always been about team work. it's always been about being genetic freaks who, depending on the day, are loved or hated by the populace -- which is why Stan Lee, the creator of all things Marvel, watched the Incredibles and said, "I liked it. But then again, I've never created a superhero I didn't like. And it was like watching something I wrote."

couldn't the Incredibles come up with some different powers? couldn't the creators have, at least, created a team with different powers than the Fantastic Four? i know, the powers of the Incredibles mirror their personality, but even still, this is too close for comfort. even the name is similar! who's the leader of the Incredibles? Mister Incredible. the leader of the Fantastic Four? Mister Fantastic.

it's enough to make Mister Hyperbole* sick.

but in other news, i have no life. i watched "Singles" and "The Talented Mister Ripley" last night. i enjoyed them. i'd give them each 4/5 stars. Cameron Crowe wrote and directed "Singles," and i love his work. this isn't his best ("Almost Famous") but far from his worst ("Vanilla Sky") -- though if you're worst film is "Vanilla Sky," which is actually a really interesting film, i think you're doing alright for yourself. better than alright. i didn't know if i was going to like "The Talented Mister Ripley." it was directed by Anthony Minghella, who's other big films "The English Patient" and "Cold Mountain" either bored or offended me. but it was actually really good. Matt Damon creates a sociopath that you never root for, but you feel sorry for -- in a very slight, subtle way, his performance reminded me of Anthony Hopkins' in "The Silence of the Lambs."

one hour and fifty-six minutes till freedom. see ya' on Monday!

* not a real superhero, but he might as well be. i think i'll create a superhero family called "The Hyperboles," and they'll fight their arch nemesis, "Raging Adjective."

Horror in the World
Mood:  hug me
Now Playing: Lazlo Bane & Colin Hay's "Overkill"
you've heard the news. four blasts have rocked London this morning. as i write this, two people have already been killed and dozens others have been wounded. pray for the wounded. pray for the families who have already lost loved ones. pray that horror of this world does not rob people of their hope or faith and that the Lord returns soon and puts an end to this sadness.

UPDATE

it's 11:50 am and CNN is reporting that at least thirty-three people are dead, with estimates being made that probably something closer to forty were slain "and scores wounded" in the attacks this morning.

a group calling themselves the "Secret Organization of al Qaeda Organization in Europe*" is claiming responsibility for the attack.

if i may be so blunt, what kind of f&cked-up deity do you serve that demands the slaying of innocent men, women, and children? i've read a lot about the Judeo-Christian god (which, incidentally, is the same god Muslims believe in) and He strikes me as someone who's interested in saving people from themselves, not killing them because they aren't following his guidelines. whatever happened to compassion, kindness, good-will, grace, forgiveness, and the ability to reach out to people and help them? while bombing someone might (supposedly) secure you a place in heaven, what about the people you're killing? doesn't your god want them there too? you're gonna be in for quite a shock come Judgment Day.

just, you know, FYI.

* Don't laugh. That's actually their name. But a quick tip for you's out there thinking about creating a fanatical religious cult with world domination (or destruction) on the to-do list, don't use the word "Secret" in your title and if you can't avoid using the artistically inept and uninspiring word "Organization," use it only once. Another tip would be smaller is usually better. I know for guys this is counter-intuitive, but let's say "The Angry Armadillos" attacked London today. That name would be on the tip of everyone's tongue instead of "um . . . some group that's linked with al Qaeda -- no, sorry, they're an organization. I remember that much." Just, you know, FYI.

Oops . . . At Least I Won't Do It Again
Mood:  accident prone
Now Playing: Part 1: Frou Frou's cover of "Holding Out For a Hero" Part 2: Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out For a Hero"

Part 1

woke up this morning at 6:50 when my alarm went off. woke up again at 7:44, realizing i had promptly fallen back to sleep after my alarm went off. i walked into work at 8:05. damn i'm good.

beat Max Payne. great game. very mature. very story and character-driven. it was the first game that i've played that rightfully earned it's "M" rating. most "M" rated games are there just because of needless gore or language. but everything within this game made sense, it was like watching and controlling a great New York cop movie. GREAT ending, GREAT final level (glad to see someone hasn't lost the touch). i'm now in the middle of 007: Everything or Nothing, which is admittedly an inferior game, but you have to give props to them actually assembling a cast for the game: Pierce Brosnan, Willem Dafoe, Shannon Elizabeth, Heidi Klum, Mya, John Cleese and of course Dame Judi Dench. the production value is unlike any game i've played before. but the game isn't without its flaws. oh well. it's just a video game.

enjoyed "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Moulin Rouge!" yesterday. i highly recommend either film. neither gets old, i do so enjoy both those movies.

spent 3 (three) hours with Doug "Douglas" McCormac last night. for those of you relatively new to my life, Doug is the pastor of the Dublin Seventh-Day Adventist church and I worked with and for him for a year when I was missionary back in 2000-2001. his mother-in-law lives five minutes down the street from me and so we get to see each other every two years or so.

it was grand catching up with him. a conversation with Doug is one that is never short of laughter, hubris, spite, melancholy, and just a bit of angst -- he is Irish, after all.

i'm as patriotic as the next man, but one really should try viewing America with the eyes of the world some time. it's a very different view. i noticed this when i lived overseas. America is so busy wearing a mask for American television, it doesn't realize it's showing its arse to the rest of the world. this is why America breeds ignorant patriotism. it's also very humorous to watch television and hear people claim to be thankful for the freedom they have, flip the channel and see a new news program instigating and fear. also, while i'm on this cynical political rant, what's so democratic about the electoral college? remind me again why i should vote.

oh well. back to work with me.

Part 2:

i know it's not called for. i know you're not sitting there, eagerly awaiting the next batch of pictures I decide to share with you. but here's a batch of pictures from a photo shoot i did well over a month ago already. i developed them by hand and took them Wolf Camera for the prints. there's nothing quite so satisfying as being able to go out, shoot a bunch of black and whites and developing them on your own. you feel so rustic, so traditional. there's an artistic awakening that comes within you, and inspiration begins flowing. if i ever get writer's block, i pick up a camera. solves it every time.

these aren't all of them, just the highlights.

From top to bottom: Brittney is an actress who is also a hair model i have worked with on several occasssions (most notably in "Nighthawks," when she played the part of Red). Rachel is my singer-songwriter cousin. Michelle is a new friend, who i was introduced to by Bri and Brittney. Kristi is an old friend who I met in Jersey who followed me here to Tennessee (and who I abuse in my video and photo shoots just because I can).

there's two more rolls that need to be developed, and they're pictures of Kelly. i'll share those when i get develop and scan them.

oh, look at the time. time for my massage.

My New Organic Desk
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: Billy Joel's "An Innocent Man"
watched "Primal Fear," "Little Voice," and "Benny & Joon." all excellent movies. each in their own right. very different films, but i thoroughly enjoyed each. if you're a fan of Ed "Fight Club" Norton, check out his first acting gig in "Primal Fear." can't get enough of Ewan MacGregor, Michael Caine and/or British comedies that revolve around music? "Little Voice" is for you. ever hear of Johnny Depp? go watch "Benny & Joon" and marvel at his Buster Keaton-esque moves.

went and saw "War of the Worlds" on Saturday night. excellent flick. Spielberg is still the king. wow. i was on the edge of my seat the entire time, despite having read the book numerous times growing up. perfectly realized. if you haven't seen it, go see it!


my boss/supervisor Rob Howell recently had to take his laptop into the shop so he's moved into my office and taken over my desk, installing programs he insists i need but have never used nor felt the need for. as such, i'm forced to lean against the wall and do what work i can on my laptop, which is in my lap (my new organic desk).

i'm a little put-out over Independence Day. Chattanooga celebrates it on July 3rd (do they know something i don't?). thus making July 4th just an odd day off from work for mowing the lawn. if we had it my way, we'd celebrate Independence Day on October 19 (when, in 1781, the British surrendered, thus securing our independence -- because, really, if we lost the war, July 4th would hold no relevance). but i'm okay with July 4th as long as we do it up right. but now we shoot of the firework on the 3rd?! WHAT IN THE WORLD?!

oh well. when i take over the world, that'll be the first thing to see change -- actually, it'll be the second. i have to get my face on the dollar bill.

A Message for Henry Vrolijk
Mood:  energetic
Now Playing: John Williams' "Battle of the Heroes" from his score to "Episode III"
yes, you have reached T Scott Fogg of San Pasqual Academy's blog. yes, you are welcome here. yes, all your base are belong to us.

for those of you who aren't Vrolijk, well i can't really help that. you should have been. you really missed out. but on to relevant!

beat Medal of Honor: Rising Sun last night. it's the third game in a row i've beaten, not realizing i was on the last level and being a little disappointed in the ending (the others being Halo 2 and Enter the Matrix). i've had the games since their release dates but haven't had time to play them till recently (how sad is that?!). anyway. Halo 2 had a great cinematic ending, but even that felt like an in-between levels movie. i didn't realize i had beaten the game until the credits were rolling. same with MOH last night. oh well. it's not like i'm going to boycott the next installment in these beloved franchises. i'll own all of 'em. next up on the Xbox? Max Payne. never played and found it used for 5$.

but if you're a computer game programmer and you're reading this, PLEASE, let's go back a decade or so when you played a video game and you were on the last level, you knew it. the level/mission/dungeon/castle would start off with a sense of impending doom. there was a gravity to it. if you can't remember this far back, go play Chrono Trigger as a refresher course.

i digress.

meeting with Stephen Lamb for lunch today to discuss the film's score. watched it a couple of times last night and there's some editing i need to do still. need to tighten it up a bit. there's a few beats that could be stronger. overall, i'm very pleased with the product (as it stands). i only hope that it serves it purpose, which is to ask people the question, not give them the answer.

the question?
"The First Commandment says 'I am the Lord thy God. You will have no other gods before Me.' What does that mean to you? Does it apply today? Was that a rule created by the Hebrew god to weed out the Israelites' gods they had brought from Egypt? Why is this a Commandment?"

i'm just not sure that line of reasoning is there. the film may be a little too subtle. oh well. let's see if Stephen can save it with his score!

Ode to the Taco Bell Girl
Mood:  energetic
Now Playing: Alan Silvestri's "Back to the Future III" score

we wrapped on "Respect" last night. LOL. that's a sentence that you can write and more clearly express what you're saying than by actually saying it. if i told someone we wrapped last night, they would probably think we rapped last night. ah, phonetics, comedy gold!

but confusing phonetics aside, the shoot went amazingly. i think we accomplished more shots last night than we ever have (not combined, mind you). we were a well-oiled machine that set up, shot, tore down, set up, shot, tore down. i gotta tip my hat to Morgan who did her routine ad nauseum so i could get the shots i wanted. thankfully, it was not hard (at all) to make her look good. she's a very talented gymnast.

all the footage is capturing right now. i began editing yesterday, as we filmed the beginning and the end the night before and it's gonna turn out good. after i edit it, i'll pass off the video to Stephen Lamb, who's onboard to compose a score for it. i love this stuff. i might complain about it, but nothing feels so completing as to work on a film.

but that actually wasn't the highlight of my day. yesterday, between work and the shoot, i was STARVING. starving and running late. i didn't have time to run home and make supper, so i swung by Taco Bell's drive thru. i ordered two bean burritos, nachos, and a medium Dr Pepper and pulled up to the window.

"Four thirty-three," said the window clerk.

I checked my wallet. I only had two ones, a five dollar coupon to Media Play, and a two dollar and one cent voucher for McKay's. I handed her my debit card. She handed me my Dr Pepper.

She leaned back out the window and handed me my food. But not my debit card. She disappeared back through her window and didn't return for a moment. When the windows opened again, she leaned out, holding my card.

"Your card has been declined. I think its our machine, it's been doing this to people today. Do you have another card or any money?"

My stomach growled and my heart plummeted. "I only have two dollars."

She glanced over her shoulder. "Gimme the two dollars."

"What?" I gasped. "Are you sure?"

"My manager's in the back." She whispered. "Don't tell anyone."

I handed over my two dollars and lock eyes with her. "You're amazing."

She smiled and winked. "Get outta here before you get me fired."

Which I did.

now mind you, this is a total stranger. i'm sure some of you are chalking this up to my dashing good looks, winning personality, or my oh-so-witty comedic humour, but i know the truth. i'm a balding shmoe she doesn't know from Adam -- or atom. not really sure what that phrase is, only know what it means.

as i drove off, i prayed that God would return the favour she bestowed on me. i prayed that He would bless her. there's not enough good people in the world. people who are willing to help out poor film graduates. i know a lot of people would have just smiled at me and thrown the food away. but not her. she took what i had and gave me what i needed.

thank-you, Taco Bell Window Clerk. you have restored and renewed my faith in humanity. and secured me as a life-long Taco Bellian.

Read this and Win 500$
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: Lindsay Lohan's "Rumors"

if you act now, you can win a 500$ gift certificate at any participating Denny's* or Waffle House**! all you have to do is read this blog and respond within fifteen (15) minutes of it being posted and you're on your way to spending five-hundred (500) dollars ($)!

this incredible offer i'm . . . uh, offering was inspired by an offer i recently received. i thought it to be such a good idea, i should share the wealth. good luck!

filming went amazingly last night. we completed the opening shots as well as all the dialog. tonight we'll be focusing on her gymnastic routine. as soon as i finish this blog, i'm gonna start capturing the footage and subsequently begin editing what i can.

how poor of an independent filmmaker am i? should i choose you to be in my film, you may be so lucky as to by me and the rest of the cast and crew pizza, as actor Phillip Graham did last night! thank-you Phillip!

the much postponed meeting with David Rodney is going down today at 1pm. here's hoping we have a wonderful partnership spawn from this!

anyway, time for me to dash off. i'm all jittery and jazzed on coffee and it's at times like this i need to get work done, before the caffeine goes bye-bye and i'm useless to everyone.



* "Denny's" is not to be confused with the popular semi-fast food chain, but is actually Denny MacIntyre's Basement of Frivolous Fun and is located at 5231 Silver Lane, Apison TN.

** "Waffle House" is not at all a reference to the popular truck stop place of dining, but rather "Martha's Incredible Edible Waffle House," which will be built as soon as the batter thickens.

Rehearsal A-Go-Go
Mood:  smelly
Now Playing: Ennio Morricone's "Passeggiata In Paese" from his score for "Malena"

dramatic and gymnastic rehearsal for "Respect" went very well last night. i'm extremely excited about the visuals we'll be pulling off with this film. it will be the most visual project i've ever worked on. most of my scripts rely on the dialouge to tell the story or to reveal the characters. this one is almost entirely non-verbal and has everything to do with what you see. tonight we shoot and tomorrow we shoot, unless we do exceptionally well tonight and get everything done in one night -- which isn't that outlandish of a thought, considering the script is a whopping three pages.

the visuals have presented an interesting challenge to Brian and i, as we are poor film students (or rather, poor film school graduates) and we don't really have any fancy-shmancy equipment. so we're stealing a page out of Robert Rodriguez's book and are using a wheelchair for our dolly shots. for our lower dolly shots, we're using a little something i like to call "the Marty McFly dolly," which really just constitutes of strapping the camera to a skateboard and pulling it. the nicest equipment we have is the Panasonic DVX we're shooting with and the jib we found on e-bay for 10$. when you don't have a studio throwing money at you, you have to get creative, which is half the fun. the other half of the fun, for me, is writing it. and the other half is casting it. and then directing it. and watching it be edited into the film.

i have begun The Poor Man's Diet. i don't usually do diets, especially the fad ones, but this one seems to work. it's been tested throughout the ages, being put to especially good use in Ireland around the turn of the century and there are places in Africa where they are still using it en masse. but basically, the way it works is: no money = no food = no unslightly weight gain. i'll keep you posted on how well it works or doesn't work. i'd hate to be the instigator behind a fad diet that doesn't work out.

and since i know you like them so much, here's some pictures from last night's rehearsal:

Sadtimes in Scott Town
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: Bon Jovi's "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead"
okay not really.

i came into work today, made my way to the kitchen, and found not one, but two pots of cold coffee. someone forgot to brew a fresh pot. i swore under my breath "sad times strike Scott Town," but then i remembered . . .

today's our anniversary! four years ago today Kelly and I shared our first kiss. awww . . . and now we're getting married -- December 18th! mark your calender! to commemorate this day, i will share our first picture together. i took it on the porch of my cabin (Cherokee!) at camp:

also, if you have seven minutes free, check out this exclusive Internet teaser-trailer for Cameron Crowe's latest film, "Elizabethtown," starring Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom. i love Cameron Crowe's flicks. his style is one that i connect to and would love to emulate within my own. his connection with human emotion is astounding. be sure to check it out. and if you have no idea who Cameron Crowe is, go watch "Almost Famous."